The Philadelphia 76ers are traveling to Los Angeles for the second game in a three-game road stretch. Tonight, they will play the Los Angeles Clippers, who are 3-4 on the season and are led by former Sixer James Harden.
The Sixers will also be hoping that Paul George is able to make his second appearance of the season in his first return to the Los Angeles Clippers after the Sixers were able to steal him away in free agency. George, who had previously played five seasons for the Clippers, debuted in a loss against Phoenix in which he scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out four assists in a 118-116 loss.
Sixers Game Information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (1-5) at Los Angeles Clippers (3-4)
When: 10:00 PM EST
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Watch: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are off to a rough start to their 2024-2025 season. Joel Embiid has yet to make his season debut, and the timeline will now be even longer as he serves a three-game suspension for an altercation with a reporter following the Sixers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. This will be the first game of Embiid’s suspension.
Should Paul George be unable to play, the scoring load will most likely fall on fifth-year guard Tyrese Maxey, who has had the Herculean task of leading this team without their stars in the early stretch of this season. Maxey, who is currently averaging 30.2 points, has been finding a way to score but is only shooting 40.8% from the field and 29.6% from three on 25.3 shot attempts per game.
While he has significantly improved his shooting splits in the last two games, defenses have clearly been making it tough on Maxey to start the season, knowing that he is for sure the number one option on a team without their two other All-Stars.
In order to win this game, the Sixers will need great contributions from the supporting cast. Kelly Oubre Jr., Guerchon Yabusle, and Caleb Martin have all shown just how effective they can be this year at different times but will need to show that they can step up at the same time as each other.
Yabusele has shown off his ability as a defender, a shooter, and a playmaker early in the season. Oubre has shown flashes of his microwave scoring but has yet to find a rhythm. Martin has also proven himself as a reliable defensive and rebounding wing. If these guys can start clicking at around the same time, it will go a long way to taking some of the pressure on Tyrese Maxey.
Latest on the Clippers
The Clippers are off to a promising start, accounting for expectations to start this year. With James Harden averaging 21.1 points and sitting at third in assists with 9.9 a game, the Clippers have found a way to make it work early in the season without superstar Kawhi Leonard.
Harden may not be efficient to start the year here, but he has done an excellent job elevating the supporting cast and getting everyone involved. Norman Powell has been free to operate as the number two option early in the season and is leading the team in scoring at 24.9 points per game on 50.8/45.0/84.0% shooting splits. Ivica Zubac is averaging a career-high 17.4 points per game and a career-high 13.0 rebounds per game to start the season.
A big part of the reason the Clippers have been able to win games has been because of their rebounding. Harden, Zubac, and Kris Dunn are all averaging over 4.5 boards a game. They are currently ranked 3rd in the league at 47.7 rebounds a night, compared to the Sixers 29th ranking at 39.8. In order to combat this, the Sixers’ big men will need big games from Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, and Andre Drummond in the rebounding department.
What to watch for
Through the first six games of the season, the Sixers have been struggling in nearly every team statistic. They’re dead last in assists per game (19.7), second to last in field goal percentage (41.9%), 25th in the three-point percentage (33.0%), and 29th in blocks allowed (6.8). In order for the Sixers to find their second win of the season, they will need to find a way to disrupt the Clippers’ rebounding while finally finding some sort of offensive rhythm for multiple of their players.
Hopefully, Paul George can play tonight, but if he isn’t, look for Oubre, Martin, Drummond, and Yabusele to step up for the Sixers on both ends of the floor.
